HIGH CAPACITY PARTICULATE LOADER AND TRANSFER APPARATUS

• US 20070269276A1
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AG Growth Industries Partnership
• Original Assignee: REM Manufacturing Ltd.
• Inventors: Rempel, Frank, Sonntag, Bob, Francis, Lane, Noble, Max, Duclos, Jody
• Granted Patent: US 7,431,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 406/38
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 87/00 Loaders for hay or like field crops combined with mowers A01D43/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 87/10 with blowers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/48 Screws or like rotary conveyors

Abstract

A high capacity particulate loader having an intake hose on one sidewall thereof which communicates with a source of negative pressure formed by a multi-stage suction mechanism, to create a high suction, high volume and high speed air stream that draws particulate materials through the hose and propels them into a separation chamber where they separate from the air stream and are directed into a discharge auger assembly on the opposite sidewall of the loader. The multi-stage suction mechanism communicates with a separation chamber and/or a settling chamber, the settling chamber providing an area where dust or fine chaff from the suctioned particulate materials, which may be present in the air stream, can settle, through gravity, on a bottom surface of the settling chamber, thus avoiding contact with the blowers so as to prevent clogging of the blowers and rotor wear thereof.

Claims

1. A high capacity bulk loader for particulate materials comprising:

(a) a chassis adapted to be positioned adjacent materials to be loaded;

(b) a hollow body mounted on the chassis and defining an internal, air-materials separating chamber and a settling chamber therein;

(c) an inlet in a sidewall of the hollow body;

(d) a pickup conduit coupled with the inlet through which materials may be directed into the separating chamber;

(e) at least two fan blowers, operably interconnected in tandem to form a multi-stage suction mechanism, carried by the chassis and communicating with the separating chamber and the settling chamber for drawing a high powered air stream through the conduit to entrain the materials and propel them into the separating chamber through the inlet;

(f) an outlet in another sidewall of the body opposite the inlet;

(g) separating means within the separating chamber for allowing the air stream to escape through the separating chamber and the settling chamber, while the momentum of the materials propelled into the separating chamber carries the materials across a width of the separating chamber and charges them into the outlet;

(h) a discharge conveyor operably coupled with the outlet for transferring materials charged into the outlet to a remote location; and

(i) means for sealing the discharge conveyor against substantial entry of ambient air during operation of the discharge conveyor and the multi-stage suction mechanism to prevent significant diminution of a strength of the air stream created by the multi-stage suction mechanism.

2. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the discharge conveyor further comprises an upwardly and outwardly inclined auger assembly, the auger assembly including an elongated, tubular housing and an internal auger rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the housing in a direction to move the charged materials upwardly and outwardly away from the body.

3. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 2, wherein the housing of the auger assembly is open along a full length of the outlet to expose a corresponding longitudinal portion of the auger.

4. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the separating means comprises a foraminous drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and disposed within the path of travel of the air stream escaping from the body, the separating means further including a stationary baffle adjacent a periphery of the drum to block an ingress of air into the drum in a vicinity of the baffle, whereby to encourage adhered particles to gravitationally drop from the drum as the drum periphery passes the baffle.

5. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 4, wherein the inlet and the outlet are disposed below an axis of rotation of the drum.

6. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the first fan blower and the second fan blower are operably connected and arranged in series.

7. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 2, wherein the means for sealing the discharge conveyor comprises a material-conveying end dump housing and defining an inlet port therein, the end dump housing being adapted to cover a discharge end of the tubular housing of the auger assembly, the inlet port being in communication with the discharge end of the auger assembly for discharging the charged materials delivered from the auger assembly.

8. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the multi-stage suction mechanism draws the high powered air stream through the conduit under a negative pressure.

9. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the multi-stage suction mechanism further comprises three or more fan blowers operably connected and arranged in series.

10. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the multi-stage suction mechanism comprises at least two positive displacement pumps, the pumps being operably interconnected in series.

11. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the chassis further comprises a hose storage rack, whereby a hose for connection to the pickup conduit can be stored when not in use.

12. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a pair of oppositely disposed, generally upwardly projecting sidewalls presenting opposed extremities of the separation chamber.

14. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the multi-stage suction mechanism comprises at least two centrifugal blowers, the at least two centrifugal blowers being operably interconnected in series.

15. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the inlet further comprises a circular outermost end and a base end proximal to the sidewall, the base end having a larger cross-sectional area than a cross sectional area at the circular outermost end.

16. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the settling chamber further comprises a cyclone separator positioned therein, so as to substantially inhibit dust, fine chaff or other particles from passing through the settling chamber in the air stream.

17. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 1, wherein the bulk loader further comprises power transfer means, the power transfer means being operably interconnected to a drive shaft so as to supply rotational power to the discharge conveyor.

18. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 17, wherein the power transfer means further comprises a power transfer case, at least one pulley and an intermediate drive shaft, the intermediate drive shaft extending from the power transfer case at an angle which substantially corresponds with an angle of a longitudinal axis of the auger, whereby the at least one pulley is interconnected between an end of the discharge conveyor and the intermediate drive shaft so as to supply the rotational power to the discharge conveyor.

19. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 17, wherein the power transfer means further comprises:

a power transfer case, having an intermediate drive shaft connected at a proximal end to the power transfer case and a distal end operably interconnected with two intermediate drive shaft sprockets of different diameters, the intermediate drive shaft extending from the power transfer case at angle which substantially corresponds with an angle of a longitudinal axis of the discharge conveyor;

two discharge conveyor sprockets operably interconnected with an end of the discharge conveyor, whereby a first intermediate drive shaft sprocket is aligned with a first discharge conveyor sprocket having a smaller diameter than that of the first intermediate drive shaft sprocket, and a second intermediate drive shaft sprocket is aligned with a second discharge conveyor sprocket having a larger diameter than that of the second intermediate drive shaft sprocket; and

drive means interconnected around the aligned sprockets, whereby an operator of the loader can increase or decrease the rotational power provided to the discharge conveyor.

20. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 17, wherein a sensor is positioned within the separation chamber, the sensor being operably interconnected with the power transfer means and adapted to detect a rate of introduction of the particulate materials into the separation chamber.

21. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 20, wherein, when the sensor detects a rate of introduction of the particulate materials into the separation chamber which exceeds a predetermined setting, activates the power transfer means to increase a flow of hydraulic fluid to the intermediate drive shaft so as to increase a rotational speed of the discharge conveyor interconnected with the intermediate drive shaft, and correspondingly increase a transfer of the particulate materials from the separation chamber.

22. The high capacity bulk loader of claim 21, wherein, when the sensor no longer detects a rate of introduction of the particulate materials into the separation chamber which is at least equal to the predetermined setting, activates the power transfer means to reduce the flow of the hydraulic fluid to the intermediate drive shaft so as to decrease a rotational speed of the discharge conveyor interconnected with the intermediate drive shaft, and correspondingly decrease the transfer of the particulate materials from the separation chamber.

13. A high capacity bulk loader for particulate materials comprising:

(a) a chassis adapted to be positioned adjacent materials to be loaded;

(b) a hollow body mounted on the chassis and defining an internal, air-materials separating chamber therein;

(c) an inlet in a sidewall of the hollow body;

(d) a pickup conduit coupled with the inlet through which materials may be directed into the separating chamber;

(e) at least two fan blowers, operably interconnected in tandem to form a multi-stage suction mechanism, carried by the chassis and communicating with the separating chamber for drawing a high powered air stream through the conduit to entrain the materials and propel them into the separating chamber through the inlet;

(f) an outlet in another sidewall of the body opposite the inlet;

(g) separating means within the separating chamber for allowing the air stream to escape through the separating chamber, while the momentum of the materials propelled into the separating chamber carries the materials across a width of the separating chamber and charges them into the outlet;

(h) a discharge conveyor operably coupled with the outlet for transferring materials charged into the outlet to a remote location; and

(i) means for sealing the discharge conveyor against substantial entry of ambient air during operation of the discharge conveyor and the multi-stage suction mechanism to prevent significant diminution of a strength of the air stream created by the multi-stage suction mechanism.

23. A system for providing a multi-stage suction mechanism in a bulk loader having a chassis and a substantially hollow body mounted on the chassis which defines an internal, air-materials separating chamber therein, the system comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a pickup conduit, the pickup conduit being coupled with an inlet of the chamber through which materials may be directed into the chamber;

(b) providing a settling chamber, the settling chamber being positioned between the separating chamber and the multi-stage suction mechanism;

(c) operably interconnecting at least two fan blowers, in tandem, to form the multi-stage suction mechanism, the multi-stage suction mechanism being carried by the chassis, and communicating with the separation chamber and the settling chamber;

(d) operably interconnecting the multi-stage suction mechanism to an outside exhaust; and

(e) utilizing the multi-stage suction mechanism to draw a high powered air stream through the conduit to entrain the materials and propel them into the separation chamber through the inlet of the separation chamber.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein, after the multi-stage suction mechanism draws the high powered air stream through the conduit and the materials have been propelled into the separation chamber, the air stream is exhausted to an outside air source through the outside exhaust.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the multi-stage suction mechanism draws the high powered air stream through the conduit under a negative pressure.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein an exhaust structure is connected to the outside exhaust to re-direct the air stream away from the bulk loader, the exhaust structure further comprising at least one pivotably movable first elbow portion attached to the outside exhaust, a pipe section connected to the first elbow portion at a proximal end thereof, and a pivotably movable second elbow portion connected to a distal end of the pipe section, the elbow portions permitting the exhaust structure to swivel or pivot in relation to the outside exhaust, whereby the air stream can be optionally re-directed vertically or horizontally away from the bulk loader.